Nairobbery

I haven't been outside Nairobi airport for over a decade, but the name Nairobbery has stuck in my mind ever since student days, when we learnt all about the city's vehicle crime and mugging explosion. A name that is probably fairly damaging to perceptions of the place. In fact it is East Africa's and one of the continent's most important places for economic growth, commerce and entrepreneurship. It helps to spearhead images of Africa that don't all fit with the standard portrayals of misery and suffering.

Being here feels like Las Vegas after Juba and Yambio. There are malls, highways and traffic jams. Nairobi National Park abuts the main road from the airport, with zebras and gazelles milling around. Wildlife sculptures line the roadside, and livestock weaves in between. Nairobi is in that group of cities where negotiating taxis from the airport is a royal pain in the arse, with all foreigners being treated as clueless bottomless sources of cash. The difference between scammers in Kenya and South Sudan is that Kenyans have had a hell of a lot of training in hospitality and tourism so they're able to be much more convincing with it.

I have mixed feelings about this country as it doesn't have the same feelings of unity and warmth as other countries I've been to. It was the first country I came to outside Europe and kicked off a period of several years of spending chunks of time in Africa, so it has been formative, and I'm happy to be reacquainted.